The GOPs are fighting: Gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner slams Byron Donalds' ethics
A special report from Tallahassee-based news service Florida Phoenix
By Mitch Perry
Republican gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner unveiled an anti-corruption legislative package this week, taking direct aim at Naples U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in the process.
Renner trails Donalds in all public opinion polls in the GOP race for governor this year, with the primary election set for this August.
“We don’t need another politician who campaigns as a conservative but, once in office, spends all his time in self-promotion, getting rich, and partying, while failing to deliver for ‘We the People,’” Renner told reporters standing in front of the Old Capitol building in Tallahassee.
“Look, my opponent Congressman Donalds went into office not very wealthy and now he’s wealthy in a very short amount of time,” Renner added.
“We believe a tenfold increase in his net worth, and so how can you explain that other than sometime is amiss? Something is wrong. And so, we cannot have people that get into public office and enrich themselves at the expense of taxpayers. And forget all about actually showing up and delivering results, and that’s what’s happened. And so yes, we need to address that. We need to have people that are actually about public service, not self service, and that’s what he’s done.”
The Naples Daily News calculated Donalds’ net worth a year ago to be somewhere between $630,000 and $2.6 million. Quiver Quantitative, a financial data platform that tracks U.S. congressional stock trading and lobbying, estimates Donalds’ worth at $4.63 million.
Renner, a resident of Palm Bay, served in the Florida House from 2016-2024, with the last two years as speaker as he worked closely with Gov. Ron DeSantis to help his agenda.
Renner’s plan to attack public corruption
Under his “Florida First — End Corruption, Restore Integrity and Accountability in Government” proposal he released, Renner says he wants all stock trades by elected officials and their spouses to be disclosed within three days. Failure to comply, he said, would result in a fine equal to the value of the trade and removal from office in cases of insider trading.
Donalds has said that he supports congressional legislation filed by Pinellas Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna that would prohibit members of Congress and, in some cases, their immediate families from buying or trading individual stocks while in office.
Renner also says he would ban elected officials and their spouses from receiving first-time government contracts or appropriations for themselves or their employers. Violations would result in a fine equal to the contract value and removal from office, he said.
He wants all public corruption cases referred to the statewide prosecutor automatically, which he says would eliminate local conflicts and political pressure.
Renner’s appearance outside the Capitol came exactly a week after Donalds made his own visit back to Tallahassee. When asked by reporters whether he would debate Renner or his other GOP gubernatorial opponents — Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and investment CEO James Fishback — Donalds said he would do so only after they qualify for the ballot in June.
“Qualifying for the ballot matters,” Donalds said. “Because that means you’re an actual candidate for governor. Once that occurs, then we’ll have those conversations.”
Renner said that isn’t good enough.
“I take tough questions from you, and I take tough questions from voters,” he said, responding to a question asked by a Phoenix reporter.
“That is our obligation to answer these tough questions. And he responded [last week] by saying, ‘I’m ahead, everybody would like to be where I am. Next question.’ And my point to you is, if you start to investigate some of the things that I talked about today in terms of how he’s enriched himself in office, you’ll ask a lot of questions, and those questions need to be asked by voters.
“Have you gone into office to serve the public, or serve yourself?” Renner continued. “And I think the answer is demonstrable and clear with respect to Congressman Donalds. He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with just saying, ‘Next question.’ If you look at him, there’s a lot of questions.”
The Donalds campaign dismissed Renner’s allegations.
“Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next governor because he is the proven conservative fighter trusted by President Trump and the majority of our sheriffs to make the state safer and more affordable,” said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Donalds campaign.
“Byron is the only candidate unifying Florida Republicans and focusing on defeating the Democrats this November. Anyone running against him is an anti-Trump RINO and will be crushed in the primary.”
Mitch Perry has covered politics and government in Florida for more than two decades. Most recently, he is the former politics reporter for Bay News 9. He has also worked at Florida Politics, Creative Loafing and WMNF Radio in Tampa. He was also part of the original staff when the Florida Phoenix was created in 2018.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. This story is republished with their permission. To support Florida Phoenix, click here:
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Let’s face it. Most of Congress is doing the same thing. They’re not there to help the people they’re there to get rich. Take advantage of all the benefits ignore peoples needs. I say get rid of them all and start over. There should be a limit. And after that limit, they’re out. Just like the Supreme Court once they’re in they never leave. They wheal them out in a casket and the money Trail follows.
My only question is are there any GOP members with ethics? If they all support the best friend of a pedophile who is mentioned in the Epstein files, so far, more than 30,000 times, and who is a convicted felon, held liable for sexual assault, defamation and fraud, can that person be ethical at all? I realize FL is about the dimmest state in the Union, thank you MS and AR, but are these two clowns the best FL has to offer? They are likely a Floridiot's delight, but they are hideous trump wannabees, and with trump's approval in the tank, that might not be great election strategy. Maybe, as the economy and stock market tank, and trump and his pal Epstein continue to curn the stomach of any rational human, a worthwhile dem can crawl out from under a rock and claim the governorship. A person can dream.... Maybe Miss Mingo can help with some of my questions about the Floridian mindset and their love for creeps, cons, crooks, and crazed clowns.